Air Force Academy
Chicago State
Falcons Soar Past Cougars, 68-54
1/6/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 6, 2012
AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AP) - With its leading scorer out and the shots not falling against a seemingly overmatched opponent, Air Force needed someone to step up against Chicago State Friday night.
It got just that in the form of two of its veteran starters - senior Taylor Stewart and junior Taylor Broekhuis - and survived a slow start en route to a 68-54 win over the Cougars.
Stewart and Broekhuis each scored 16 points for Air Force (9-4), which trailed by as many as five against Chicago State (0-15) in the first half. The Falcons hit 65 percent of their shots in the second half to pull away and improve to 8-1 at Clune Arena this season.
"After halftime, I think our guys did a nice job of bouncing back," Air Force coach Jeff Reynolds said. "I thought they did a good job of not letting us run anything, and no matter where we threw the ball in the first half, they just scrambled the game. We weren't game-ready and were out of sync, and I don't know why.
"We've got to play better on both ends of the floor, and we've got to be more consistent. Fortunately tonight, we were in a position where we did not have to play our best and were still fortunate enough to win."
With Michael Lyons (16.3 ppg) missing his fourth consecutive game, the Falcons hit just one of their first seven 3-pointers and struggled out of the gate. Trailing 13-9 with eight minutes remaining in the first half, Air Force needed someone to provide a spark.
That person turned out to be Stewart.
The 6-foot-5 forward keyed an 11-2 run over a four-minute stretch with four points, two assists, a rebound and a steal. That spurt gave the Falcons a lead they would not relinquish.
"I just made plays," said Stewart, who added five assists, three rebounds and two blocks while tying his career-high points output. "Everybody was shooting their shot, but we just needed to take it inside. Some of the coaches said, `Somebody's got to get in the middle,' and I said, `Let's go.'"
Reynolds was pleased with the play of his upperclassmen, who stood up as leaders for the largely young team. That included junior guard Todd Fletcher, who had five assists, no turnovers and tied a career-high with seven rebounds.
"(Taylor Stewart) is a guy who's aggressive with the ball, and he was able to penetrate, get shots for other people and put himself at the free-throw line," Reynolds said. "I thought he did a nice job. I thought Taylor Broekhuis and Todd Fletcher were very solid."
Air Force scored on its first seven possessions of the second half to expand a slim four-point halftime advantage into a double-digit lead. Making a more conscious effort to penetrate the Cougars' pesky zone was also a strategy that paid off for the Falcons, who had 34 points in the paint, but gave up 15 offensive rebounds.
"In the first half, I think we came out a little tentative," said Broekhuis, who had six rebounds, tied a career-high with five assists and had a pair of blocks. "We just tried to come out in the second half and have fun. You can go over the X's and O's all you want, but if you're not having fun, what's the point in playing?"
Lee Fisher had 16 points and 18 rebounds to lead the Cougars, who shot just 30.4 percent from the field.
The first half was far from a shooting showcase, with Air Force hitting 34.6 percent of its shots and Chicago State connecting at a 22.2-percent clip. The teams combined for more turnovers (21) than baskets (15) in the first half, and the Falcons led 22-18 at the break.
